Cancer Rates May Have Gone Down 22%, But Be Cautious About The Growing Number of Cancer Causing Factors, Expert Says!

This is something to celebrate. The rate of Americans dying from cancer has been going down since 1991. The decrease in cancer fatalities is from 215 per 100,000 individuals or .215 % in1 991to 169 per 100,000 individuals or .169 % in 2011 researchers revealed.

That corresponds to about 1.5 million Americans who cheated death. The drop can be attributed to the effective campaign against smoking which resulted in the decline in the number of smokers along with the much improved cancer awareness programs, especially prevention, early detection, and effective treatment methods. This is according to the research study sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

“Further reductions in cancer death rates can be accelerated by applying existing cancer control knowledge across all segments of the population, with an emphasis on those in the lowest socioeconomic bracket and other disadvantaged populations,” write Rebecca Siegel and her colleagues in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

The latest report was culled from the information available from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Center for Health Statistics.

From 2007 to 2011, the data showed an improving trend with cancer cases among men dropping by 1.8%; there was no change among women. Inclusive of those years, cancer fatalities have also dropped by the same percentage with regards to male patients; among women, the decline was a little lower at 1.4 %.

However, the drop of fatalities differ from state to state. During the past 20 years, some states have suffered less fatalities compared to others. The benefits were not shared by all Americans in equal proportions.

You will find that death caused by cancer in the Southern Part of the country is only 15% while the decline in the Northern States is up to 20 %. As of the present, Southern States still have the highest number of cancer related fatalities.

“The large geographic variation in cancer death rates and trends reflects differences in risk factor patterns, such as smoking and obesity, as well as disparities in the national distribution of poverty and access to health care, which have increased over time,” the researchers write.

The researchers were able to estimate the possible prevalence of cancer and the deaths that’ll come with it for the coming year 2015 by using the same sources.

The projection is around 1.7 million Americans will suffer from cancer with about 590,000 dying from the disease next year.

The projection also predicts that prostate cancer will still top the most diagnosed cancer among the male population; among women, breast cancer will remain the most diagnosed. Lung cancer will go on to hound the most number of men and women.

Leukemia will continue to victimize children ages one to fourteen years old. While those who are ages fifteen to nineteen will have to be weary of brain and nervous system cancers, according to the researchers.

Dr. Steven Rosen, provost and chief scientific officer at City of Hope, said that Americans should be aware that there are more means of getting cancer today and the number of cancer victims may rise from conditions such as obesity.

“Recreational marijuana use can increase lung cancer and the rise of sexually transmitted diseases is associated with cancer risk,” said Rosen, who wasn’t involved in the new study. “In addition, cancer is associated with aging, and as life expectancy fortunately increases, cancer rates will rise proportionately.”